Condenser.



H. E! BEYER.

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED OUT.18,1911.

4 Patented Oct. T42, 191

H. E. BEYER,

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED 001218, 1911. 4 2 5 41354. Patented 0cc.,22,1912.

2 SHBETSSHEET 2.

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HERMAN EDWARD BEYER, or BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

connnusns.

Application and October is, ten.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that, I, HERMAN EDWARD BEYER. a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jeiferson and Stateof Alabama,

havev invented certain new and useful improvements in Condensers, ofwhich the following .is a specification.

This invention relates to the condensation therefor.

t has for its object the obviating" of a defeet associated with the useof oohnter-current condensers, occurring whenever such operate at theirmaximum etiiciency. This defect is described in Weiss Patent No. 96,781,dated May 2nd, 1893, as a shifting from cminter-current toparallel-current condensation, whenever the counter-current condensationreaches the state where the temperature in the condensing chamberbecomes equal to the temperature of the hot water running oil, orinother words, where the pressure in the condenser falls to the point atwhich the hot water in the waste pipe will boil. The condensation willthen shift to a parallel-current condensation,

assing over into'a water separator provided or the purpose, this watersepa 'ator being of the withdrawal of the water running over .thereinto.

To automatically return the condensation to counter-current again. Weissprovides means for admitting air or steam into the condensing system so'as to lower the vacuum thereiin thus creating a di'll'erence in thetemperature of the hotwater running off and the vacuum in condenserchamber, which mi their true that the admission of air is a-Specification of Letters fatent'.

of steam and other vapors and to apparatus furnished with a barometricleg to permit causes the condensation to return to the Fatented Get. 22.11187120 Serial No. fsfififl ll.

most unsatisfactory means to attain the ends in view by reason of thefactthat it adds largely to the work required of the air pump which isnecessarily used in count en current condensers and the sole duty ofwhich is to remove the air. It will he evilient that when a. balancedcondition as to premure exists between the condenser and thesepa.ratcr,'gravity will prevent any tendency of the water to flush overfrom the condenser into the separator and therefore my object is toeffectively maintain a halanced condition as to pressure between thecondenser and separator, and to this end 1' provide in addition to theupper connection between separator and condenser for air removal asdisclosed in the Noise condenser and other coui'iter-current condensers.a supplemental connection leading from the lower end of the condenserand. preferably from helow false bottom therein into the lower part orthe separator. The air pump will thus have a direct connection both tothe upper end and the lower end of the condenser, and it follows thatunder abnormal operating conditions when the parallel current conditionis set up, the tendency of the water to flush and till the upperconnection between separator and condenser will not interfere with therapid balancing of the pressures through the lower pipe connection whichremains open and uninterrupted. it is in this respect that my inventionessentially (litters from all other types of coun- K terJ-urrentcondensers.

A further object of my invention is to protect the air pump from hotwater or steam in the air drawn oil through the lower connection betweencondenser and separator and from the steam that tends to rise from theboiling over of the condenser and from the hot water in the barometricleg of the separator. To this end I interpose a valve -whieh isautomatically closed by the Hushing action of the water to cut oil theair pump from the condensing system. I also provide a special coolingspray in the sepa rator through which all air and vapors drawn oii fromcondensing space through the lower connection must pass before enteringthe pipe leading to the air pump.

My invention further comprises the details of construction andarrangement of parts which in their preferred embodiment are hereinaftermore particularly described ill) her i i and claimedv with reference tothe accoinpartying drawings, in which Figure l. is a vertical sectionalview through the condenser and separator. F 2 is a detail view showingthe arrangement of the spray nozzle in the water separator. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the condensing apparatus operating as acounter-ciu-rcnt condenser. Fig. 1 is a similar view showing thatapparatus under conditions of parallel current operation with the.connection to the air pump interrupted. l

Similar reference numerals refer to sumlar parts throughout thedrawings.

In the preferred innbodinicnt of my in vention which is illustrated inthe accompanyin drawings, but to the details of which do not desire tobe limited, I show a metallic condenser body 1 having any suitableshape, and admit the eani or vapor to be condensed through an inlet pipewhich is provided with a downwardly open ing discharge orifice whichcauses the steam or vapor to enter the condenser body at or near thecenter with adownward direction of How. The condenser body is provided.at its upper end with a water resrrmir 3 which communicates with thecondenser body through a central opening surroinnled. by .a weir 4:.Water is admitted to the chamber 3 through a water inlet 5 and undernomlal operating conditions tends to flow therefron'i into thecondensing chamber over the edges of the weir 4; and in addition throughan opening 6 into a descending pipe 7 which communicates with a nozzle 8disposed in the wate separator i). The water chamber is I X' )Yl( withan air outlet pipe 10 near its up ier end which opens into the upper end0; the water separator 9. A pipe 1.1 is d osed in the upper end of theseparator l and pas through a partition 12 at the top of the waterscoarator. Preferably this pipe is provided with an. offset 13 so thatit ipportcd by the partition 12 and. it. council y open top and. bottom.The upper end of the p pc 11 opens into a valve chunr in which I rovidea conical valve 15 ruountcd on a. rod 16 and suitably held in placeown-(m. the upper end of. the rod proecting.through an opening in thecover 17 of the valve ch amber and being connected at its top end to aspring-receiving ca 18. This cap receives a coil spring 19 which isseated on'the cover 17 and tends normally to hold the valve 15 in the.position shown in Fig. 1. The spring is housedin an air tight casing 20.A nozzle 21, at the side of the valve chamber 14, is adapted to beconnected by thc air pipe 22 to any desirable type of suction pump 2",having an air discharge port 38. The lower end of the rod. 16 passesthrough a central opening in a s1 ilci' fixed in the upper end of abucket i s abl fast ning means bciog app lo the l )l the top ol pip llrod to attach the bucket thereto. I provide the bottom of the bucketwith a drainage opening 526.

The condenser body 1 is "upported by a flange 27 on a cone :3.) whi l1.5 in turn supported by a barometric waste pipe 30 (Figs. 3 and il)extending into a hot well 35. The condenser body terminates in a falsebottom formed by a cone 28 (Fig. 1) through the opening 510 in which thewaste hot water passes from the condenser into thccone 2S) and then intothe waste ipe 36. The false bottom being concentric with but smallerthan. the cone 29 and projecting into it an annular chamber 31 is formedfrom which a pipe 32 leads to the water separator 9 at a point belowthespra' nozzle 8 disposed in the lower portion 0 said separator. Theseparator terminates at a point below the connecting pipe 32 in a cone33 supported on a barometric waste pipe 34 also extenduig into the hotwell from whicln the waste water runs by means of an opening 37.

The pipes 10 and. 32, which form connec tions between the condenser body1 with the water separa or 9, give simultaneous access to the aspiratingaction of the air pump to the top of the condenser body and to theclianil'ier 31.

Referring to Fig. 3, the normal operation of colmum-current condensationis shown. The cooiing water entering chamber 23 and flowing over theedges of the weir 4 con (lenses the steam or vapor entering throughnozzle 2. The descending water will also, due to its velocity, carrythrough the 0 )ening 30 and into chamber 31, a portion 0 the air andincmulensablc gases which enter with the steam or vapor, from whichchamber 31 they are immediately rcmm ed by the aspirating action of theair pump. A small portion of the cooling water from chamber 3 will flowby means of the pipe 7 into the spray nozzle 8, and this water. as itflows downward from the nozzle through the lower end of separator ii andwaste pipe 3t into but well 35, will cool this air that is withdrawnfrom chamber 31. This cooling is made necessary due to the air havingbeen in contact with the hot water running out of the main waste pipe36, and this air will mix with the air entering the separator 5) throughnozzle 10 so that all of the air will travel through the pipe 11 andfrom there into the air pump by means of air soc tion pipe 22, beingdischarged into the atmosphere through port 38.

Should the condensation shift to the water separator $7, shown in Fig.4;, the water will flow over into I) through pipe ill and will then fillthe bucket 25. which by its weight, when so filled overcomes the r :-.1taucc oi the spring 19 and moves llicvahc in to losithe top of pip H.The living prevents any steam hot air or water entering ipe 22 so thatthe air pump is protected from damage and the uninterrupted connectionafforded by pipe, 32, will, in the nature of things, rapidly-balancethepressure between 1 and 9. This balance thus restored, thecondensation will surely and promptly return to the chamber 1 and thusstop the water running over into chamber 9. The bucket 25 will quicklydrain itself of its weight of water so that the spring 19, aided by thesuction action of the air pump on the valve 15, will surely and quicklyopen the valve 15 again, and automatically put the air pump in connection with the condensing system so that the condensation can beconducted in its normal manner throughout the condensing system, asshown in Fig. Because of the cooling water spray at 8, no hot air canenter the air pump-directly after the condensation has been returned tochamber 1.

By the means as above described, I improve on the methods employed forshifting back to counter-current condensation from parallel-currentcondensation when such has occurred in counter-current condensers,enabling a quick recovery of the vacuum in condenser 1.

In place of the valve 15 as shown, I may use any other suitable closingdevice, such as a cock, a slide valve or the like which is closedautomatically by the transfer of the condensation from the condenser tothe sepwidely varied within the scope of my 1nven-.

tion which I consider to broadly cover the utilization of suction meansto draw off said air and incondensable gases both from the upper andlower ends of the condensing chamber of a counter-current condenser.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a counter-current condenser, the combination of a condensingchamber, a water separating chamber, means to connect the upper andlower ends of said separatingand condensing chambers, and an air suctionapparatus connected with the condensing system. p

2. In a counter-current condenser having a iaper admission port, a waterchamber above the port, means to provide an air chamber below said port,a water separator, pipe connections from the water chamber to theseparator and from said air chamber to the separator, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a counter-current condenser having a condensing chamber and an airsuction apparatus, the combination therewith of means to connect saidair suction apparatus to the upper and lower ends of the condensingchamber, as and for the purposes dcscribedn at. In a counter-currcntcondenser having a condensing chamber a water separating chamber, and anair suction apparatus, the combination therewith of conduits connectingsaid water separator to the upper and lower ends of the condensingchamber, and means to cool the air and vapors which ilov. from the lowerend of the condenser through said lower conduit to the air suction appa;ratus, substantially as described.

5. In a cmmter-currcnt condenser comprising a condensing chamber havinga false bottom at its lower end and a waterchamber at its upper end,means to discharge thevapor to be condensed into said condensing chamberat an intermediate point, a water separator having an upper connectionto the water chamber and a lower "connection to the space below saidfalse bottom, and aspirating means connected to said separator,substantially as described.

6. in a countc1i'-currcnt condenser, a condensing chan iber, anaspiratin'g means connected to the lower end of said chamber where hotair tends to collect, and means to cool said air in its passagefrom'said chamber to said aspirator, for the purposes described.

7. In a counter-current condenser comprising a condensing chamber havinga wa ter chamber in its upper end, a separating chamber having its upperend connected to said water chamber, a spray in said separator, means todeliver water from said water chamber to said spray, a connection belowsaid spray to the lower portion of the condensing chamber, barometricwater legs connected to said condensing and separating chambers, and"air suction means connected to the-upper end of said separator,substantially as described.

8. In a counter-currentcondenser, a condensing chamber having an airoutlet port at its upper end, a barometric \vatcr leg connectedto thebottom of said chamber, false bottom in said chamber, an air-chamberformed between the bottom and false bottom of said separating chamber,and means to exhaust the air from said air chamber.

9. In a counter-current condenser, a condensing chamber, a separatingchamber, a'n upper pipe connecting said chambers. a lower pipeconnecting said chambers. an air suction pipe leading from theseparator, a

valve for closing said pipe, means controlled by the flushing ofwaterthrough the upper pipe into the separator for temporarily closingsaid valve, and means to open said vah'e when the flushing of waterstops, .5uhstanially as described.

10. In a countevcurrem condenser, means to 0011mm a suction apparatuswith the upper and lower ends of the condenser, and

10 means t0 temporarily interrupt the sucticm 3 effect of said apparatusin thv mmhnsur H11" I der Conditions uf pumllvl-cmrcm wminmn.

tion.

In tustimuny whereof I ufiix my signature in presence of tsm witrmsses.

HERMAN EDWARD B BY ER.

Witnesses:

Nomi: W ELsn, R. D. JOHNSTON.

